Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Anything music related. Latest songs, good new bands, and blasts from the past.

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Shrykespeare
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Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Shrykespeare »

SONG #40


JOHNERLE

Heartless Bastards - Revolution

I decided to lump my songs together by album since that would be the quickest and least maddening way for me to do it. That turned my list into an unofficial album countdown, and that's why Heartless Bastards kick off my list with the only song they released this year.





LEESTU

Violent Soho, Lying On The Floor

I just love how Violent Soho keep letting me relive the glory days of ‘90s grunge/alt rock.





SCREEN

Camp Cope, Done





SHRYKE

Tame Impala, Is It True

She just said, "Is it true? Is it true? Tell me now"
It's a promise I can't make and I won't validate
Was I in some kind of mood? I don't know, I don't care
Now I'm sleepin' in my room, here I am, back again

Kevin Parker might be able to rightfully lay claim as the current king of psychedelic dream-pop. His ethereal voice blends effortlessly with his mellifluous synth rhythms on most of his tracks, but it’s the upbeat nature of “Is It True” that makes this the standout of his latest album. I’m not sure how he creates the sound that kicks in right after the chorus, but it’s something I wish more musicians would employ.

Album: The Slow Rush
Other great tracks: Borderline, Lost in Yesterday, It Might Be Time





SURFER

Bright Eyes, Persona Non Grata

Conor Oberst returned with his first Bright Eyes record in almost a decade, but it was well worth the wait. This is not the Bright Eyes of the 2000s; however, both lyrically and musically the band have evolved, taking elements of their back catalogue and developing it richly. The lead single from the record evokes a lush, grandiosity to the instrumentation that, while reminiscent of the Fevers and Mirrors era, is bigger than ever before. Yet it still feels intimate thanks to Oberst's captivating and humanistic observations.





TRANSFORMERS

Venom Prison, Usurper of the Throne

What has made Venom Prison appeal to me since I first discovered them almost 2 years ago was how they blended old school late 80's/early 90's death metal with the hardcore punk-infused sensibilities of the deathcore movement of the 2000's to create a tremendously punishing sound and there's no better evidence of the destruction they're capable of conjuring up than this colossal opener from their 2nd LP "Primeval"





UNDEADMONKEY

Westlife, Hello My Love

My next 10 songs can probably be quantified as the guilty pleasure group. Here's a perfect example of something that i was debating removing from the list, but it was honestly one of my top listened songs, i know its cheesy and simple, but whatever

Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

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undeadmonkey
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by undeadmonkey »

40 - I just couldn't get into any of these tunes. bring on tomorrow

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Shrykespeare
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Shrykespeare »

undeadmonkey wrote:
January 25th, 2021, 4:42 pm
40 - I just couldn't get into any of these tunes. bring on tomorrow
Sadly, neither could I. I kind of liked the Violent Soho song, but that's about it.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by transformers2 »

Time for me to join the commenting fun!
#40
John: Not bad! 1st half was very monotonous, but the 2nd half settles into a vaguely bluesy groove that I kind of liked.

Leestu: Still don't love the vocals, but they're able to recreate the grunge aesthetic better than most.

Shryke: One of the better tracks from The Slow Rush and probably the closest Tame Impala will ever come to releasing a full-on upbeat song

Surfer: Have always been bored senseless by Bright Eyes and this did nothing to change that.

UDM: This felt like the kind of shit they'd play to pump the crowd up at a church-sponsored dance. In other words, I wasn't a fan :lol:
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numbersix
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by numbersix »

Joining in on the listening party at last.

Had to skip the last thread as I usually spend 2 weeks in Jan going through NME's 100, where they go through all the exciting acts of the year. So that's 200 tracks - a lot of music.

I'll be joining at #30

Anyway, no major surprises with #40. Except the only song I liked was Shryke's. I'm scared.

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Shrykespeare
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Shrykespeare »

numbersix wrote:
January 25th, 2021, 6:18 pm
. Except the only song I liked was Shryke's. I'm scared.
Don't worry, sir, I have plenty of songs coming up that you can turn your snooty Irish nose up to. :lol:

While I'd love for you to love every one of my picks, I know from long experience that any song I present that you like is the exception, not the rule.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Leestu »

#40

***edited to include Screen's pick***

Screen - excellent song...a top 5 song of the year for me and was is in my best of the millennium list...great vocals and lyrics...even the lead singer's solo album is probably one of the best synthpop/dance-pop albums of that year

John - this was really good...great vocals, great lyrics, great song structure, and some great guitar to finish the song

Surfer - yes I agree, I really liked the album and it was a welcome return

Shryke - I was wondering which The Slow Rush song you were going to pick and this makes sense for you to choose...not one of my favourite songs but there are no wrong selections from that album. It's consistently great...Is It True came in at #17 in Saturday's Triple J hottest 100, while Lost In Yesterday got #5....I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin Parker had been listening to some Bee Gees before writing this song.

Tranny - it was close to what I expected...it was okay

UDM - pretty sure I haven't heard this before but the whole thing just sounded so familiar it felt like I had
Last edited by Leestu on January 27th, 2021, 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by silversurfer19 »

Playlist created for the new round:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QOMW ... AzDlAuq0oQ

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by silversurfer19 »

Round 40

JohnErle:
Heartless Bastards, Revolution - Good strong vocals, had a kind of Jason Pierce-esque sound to it all at the start as it builds, but then turns into some sort of average indie pop song in the second half.

Leestu:
Violent Soho, Lying On The Floor - Very grunge-y, almost a little too derivative at times so it never really had any surprising turns and vocals were not my thing. But it did what it said on the tin, I suppose.

Shryke:
Tame Impala, Is It True - You guys tried your damned to turn me into a Tame Impala fan in the last countdown, and I did give it a go but didn't really stick beyond what I had already heard. This is ok too, probably not enough to drive me to the album, but it had a funky vibe to it that I dug.

Transformers:
Venom Prison, Usurper Of The Throne - Yikes.

Undeadmonkey:
Westlife, Hello My Love - Was there huge demand for the return of one of the most tiresome pop groups of my youth? Perhaps so it seems. At least they are trying something new rather than the usual ballad, but will never be my thing.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Shrykespeare »

SONG #39


JOHNERLE

Trail Of Dead, Gone

I first heard this album on the long flight home from Cuba. I fell asleep multiple times listening to it, so that stigma stuck with me for a while until I revisited the album later last year and realized it's a solid effort.





LEESTU

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Intrasport

Here King Gizz try something different (although trying something different is becoming their norm) with a funky electropop/Turkish house song. Whether it was tongue in cheek or not I don’t know, and they aren’t saying, but they claim they wrote this with the idea of getting Britney Spears to sing on it.





SCREEN

Mrs. Piss, Knelt





SHRYKE

In Flames, Stay With Me

Don't ever let them use you
They will bring you to your knees
I'll try to lead you for awhile
But every time I talk to you
You're too afraid to see

My personal nickname for In Flames is “Swedish Metallica”, and that’s a total compliment. They’ve been around for three decades, released thirteen albums, and if you’ve never listened to them, you’ve missed out. Bjorn Gelotte and Niclas Engelin’s combined guitar talents are evident in nearly all their music, but it’s this power ballad that takes it up another notch for me. Yes, there are times when In Flames get a bit too screamy for me, but not here.

Album: I, The Mask
Other great tracks: Call Me Name, Follow Me, We Will Remember





SURFER

Cloud Nothings, Am I Something

While Dylan Baldi and co. released a fantastic lockdown record last year after self-recording remotely, getting back in the studio with Attack On Memory producer Steve Albini was something I was very excited to hear. The first two tracks released, the first of which was this song, confirmed these hopes, with a pummeling, propulsive powerhouse of a song, in which, as Baldi described, he wanted to create an epic 3 minute song. Lyrically he has also changed things up a little, moving into heartbreaking existentialism, all backed by the now guaranteed instantly memorable melody.





TRANSFORMERS

Four Year Strong, Get Out of My Head

Since Geez isn't participating this time around, I feel obligated to honor his spirit by picking a bouncy, angst-ridden song from a nearly middle aged pop punk band that hails from our shared home state of Massachusetts.





UNDEADMONKEY

Rocio Jurado, Como una Ola

When i made this list i looked up when this song was released and it was released in 1981, but i had never heard it before last year. It took me back immediately to being 7 and being babysat by my aunt, she passed in 2012, but the memories this song brings back were all so good. Besides who knows, maybe she did actually listen to this and i just don't specifically remember it.

Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

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numbersix
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by numbersix »

Nothing wow-ed me too much for this round. Surprised to see Trail of the Dead is still around but not bad.
Surf, I keep hoping Cloud Nothings will regain their previous brilliance but this was only okay.
Leetsu, I think King Gizzard will forever try shit out and dick around, but they've yet to come up with a great album or even song. They need to chill, and be more selective!
UDM, isn't this supposed to be songs from 2020???

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Shrykespeare »

numbersix wrote:
January 26th, 2021, 4:06 pm

UDM, isn't this supposed to be songs from 2020???
Broadly interpreting "2020". If you HEARD a song for the first time (and can pass a lie detector test to prove it), you may include it, whenever it came out. Okay, just kidding about the lie detector test.

For what it's worth, I'm sure this is the first time any of US are hearing that song...
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by transformers2 »

#39
John: Not bad.

Leestu: This completely caught me off guard during my initial listen of K.G. It's so unapologetically weird and musically unhinged that I can't help but like it.

Shryke: Like most stubborn metalheads, I believe that the quality of In Flames' output has nosedived post-Clayman and I completely threw the towel in on them after 2011's Sounds of a Playground Fading. This is sincerely the 1st piece of new music I've heard from them since then and hearing what they sound like now is just disheartening. This is the type of lifeless, repetitive ballad I'd expect from a radio-friendly hard rock band that's more likely to fade away after a couple album cycles than build a legacy, not an act that literally helped pioneer a new metal subgenre 25 years ago. Sorry Shryke, this shit just really bummed me out :lol:

Surfer: Per usual, the vocals sink any chance I have of liking a Cloud Nothings song.

UDM: Glad it evokes positive memories for you, but it did nothing for me.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by JohnErle »

On to round 40...

Violent Soho – Nice production, but even in the 90s it would have been forgettable.

Tame Impala – This is probably the best thing I've ever heard from them, which isn't saying much because I usually find them unbearable. I still have major issues with the production, but it was sufficiently funky.

Bright Eyes – It's okay. If I was still running DRR I'd probably add it to the playlist for the sake of variety, but I doubt it'll last long on my personal playlist.

The others were perfectly representative of their respective genres and utterly not for me.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by undeadmonkey »

In Flames was enjoyable. King Gizzard was kinda funky, in a good way. Not that i would search it out, but still interesting to listen to.

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